A couple of weeks ago on Facebook, Harper Impulse asked if we writers prefer the pen or the keyboard.

My day had been spent with a notebook and biro, first at my local writing group, Off The Cuff, and then later, during a quiet half an hour sitting in the car. I had things I wanted to get down on paper, thoughts, ideas, a moment in time, for a 500 word story I’d been formulating the night before. The most immediate way for me to do this was to write it down.

This was my reply to the question from Harper Impulse:

“I mix and match, depending on my mood. Today has been a notebook  and pen day – it’s a more intimate means of writing. It reminds me of something a musician, possibly Sir Paul McCartney, said regarding the difference between creating a song with a guitar and producing one using a piano. A guitar is hugged to the body, creating an intimate song, whereas he feels he is pushing away the piano, producing a distant feel to the music.”

Harper Impulse asked if I found using a computer to write, a more distant exercise. Giving it more thought, I replied I did.

Typing, at my slow speed, and with my errant fingers, is a stilted affair, and can have the effect of clipping my thought process. With the immediacy of writing, regardless of the illegibility, I can get my thoughts down as they appear, ready for later editing. That’s not to say I’m incapable of this when at the PC, but my words are more considered then.

Subject matter makes a difference too. I’m more likely to hand write an intense, emotional scene, allowing the thoughts and the pen to flow. The words are raw and straight from the heart of the character. In some respects, it’s similar to writing a diary, which for most, is a private and personal activity, not often emblazoned across the household PC monitor.

Having said all that, I edit at the PC. Perhaps that’s because I need perspective, and the distance a keyboard provides allows for that.

Pen or keyboard? Both methods complement my way of working.

What an interesting question posed by Harper Impulse. Thank you.

So, what are you using to write with this minute?

Laura x